Igglybuff vs Chatot
by Cheese Nachos Supreme
Summary: Everyone knows Wigglytuff and Chatot of Wigglytuff's Guild, but no one seems to know how they actually became friends. Well, it all started when Wigglytuff was only a tiny Igglybuff... And it had to do with three thieves, two bullies, and a skateboard. (Igglybuff the Prodigy AU)
1. Fun

**~Igglybuff vs. Chatot~**

an Igglybuff the Prodigy AU

**Chapter One: Fun**

There was a plain in the Pokémon World. A green, green plain with the grassiest of hills and the prettiest of flowers and the best of Apple trees. This green, green plain has seen the happiest, sunniest of days, and it will continue to see more of those days for times to come. It was a plain filled with peace, love, the joy of giving, and the joy of having, and being, friends.

This green, green plain had a suiting, cheerful name. Yes. This green, green plain was the Happy Vale.

...

It was a dawn. Although it was still early, the golden sun was starting to peek over the horizon, greeting the green grass, flowers and Apple trees of the Happy Vale.

The Pokémon there were also starting to rise from their slumbers. The moms were starting to get breakfast ready, and the dads were preparing to go to work, seated at the table and reading the newspaper over the rims of their coffee cups.

But the kids had the best of days ahead of them - they were getting ready to play.

* * *

**IGGLYBUFF** woke up. The first thing he saw was sunlight dancing through the window into the cozy house of the Pukurin family. The first thing he heard was his parents' greets.

"Good morning, Igglybuff," his mother said cheerfully, setting down Mr. Pukurin's coffee cup onto the dining table. "You sure are up early!"

"What's going on today, big buddy?" his dad asked.

Igglybuff hopped out of bed. "Good morning Mama! Good morning, Papa!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, walking over to the dining table. "Well, today I'm just going to play with my friends. I think it's a good day to play catch! Don't you think so, Ma?"

"Oh, I think so too, Igglybuff," his mom said. His dad tossed over the ball to him. "Here's your ball, boy!"

Igglybuff caught it. "Thanks, Pa!"

"Oh, and speaking of your friends..." his mom added, "Why don't you bring these Gummis along to share with them?"

Igglybuff nodded and took the paper bag from his mom. "Great idea. Thanks, Ma! Can I go now?"

"Not so fast!" exclaimed his mom. "You haven't had breakfast yet! You can play if you've had your breakfast."

"OK," Igglybuff said, then sat with his dad at the table.

* * *

**WOOPER** by now had strapped on his favorite blue helmet and had his matching blue skateboard tucked under one arm.

"Mom! Dad! I'm going outside to play!" he shouted happily, setting his skateboard down and jumping on it, kicking off.

However, when he got near the door, he saw that it was barricaded by the tall, rather fat figure of his mom.

"Not so fast, young man," she said, smiling and shaking her head. "Bath first. Breakfast second. Play third."

"Oh, all right," Wooper sighed, taking off his helmet and riding back in, thinking, "I hate baths!"

* * *

**SMOOCHUM**, meanwhile, didn't need to be told to take her bath. After all, taking a bath was one of her favorite routines of the day. She loved to cover her golden-blonde hair with bubbly shampoo, then rinse it all off, then come out of the bathroom smelling like a princess.

She sang as she scrubbed her hair clean, accompanied by her pink rubber duck, her bathtub nearly overflowing with a thousand pink bubbles.

"Dadadadada... Dum dee dum dee dum... Tattatatataah... And Princess Smoochum comes out of the Magic Cleansing Spring looking like... A princess!"

She shook her bubble-covered head and a thousand pink bubbles flew into the air.

"Yeah, a princess... But cleaner! Prettier! And-"

"SMOOCHUM!"

She was interrupted by her mother's calls.

"Are you done taking your bath? Come on now, young lady, you've had your bath since half an hour ago!"

Smoochum sighed. Oh, why were baths meant to be only short-period activities? She LOVED baths.

"Yes, Mom," she called back. "I'm done now."

She hopped out of the bathtub and picked up a towel. The next second Princess Smoochum was enveloped in the warmth of the pink towel.

* * *

**BUDEW** was one step ahead of Smoochum. He had finished his bath - and now he was already walking out of his house.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad!" he called back. "I'm going to play with Igglybuff and Wooper and Smoochum."

"OK, son," his mom called out. "Your dad's going to be at work, OK? So come to me if you need anything - and oh, have you used your mosquito repellent? It's very important to use them nowadays... And have you finished your breakfast, Budew? What about your bath? And don't forget to bring your raincoat and a spare band-aid, OK? You're really accident-prone these days, Budew, I can't understand why... Why, you're even more accident-prone than Wooper!"

"Yes, Mom," said Budew, who really couldn't wait long enough to hear how much more accident-prone he'd become these days. "I've finished my breakfast, I've had my bath, and I've brought my raincoat and a spare band-aid. And not to mention the mosquito repellent. So can I go now?"

"Of course you can, dearie," his mom replied. "Just be back before dusk, OK?"

"OK," Budew called back, because by this time he had set off in the direction of Igglybuff's house.

* * *

**CHATOT** couldn't understand how he'd managed to get himself into this mess.

'OK,' he thought, 'Remind me again why I'm sitting at the back of a moving van?'

He didn't know how he'd quite managed it, but somehow he had accidentally chosen to ride in the back along with the stacks of cardboard boxes filled with furniture, while his parents were sitting at the front.

"Oh, squawk!" he cried out as the van jumped and he nearly bumped his head on one wall of the van. He sighed as he tucked his favorite encyclopedia closer to him. He was sure he was going to come out of the van black and blue all over.

"How much longer is it to the Happy Vale?" he groaned.

⌣»̶✽«̶

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Happy Vale, Igglybuff had met Wooper and Budew. Wooper had nearly crashed into him on his skateboard, whereas Budew had met him more normally, lugging a big jumble of stuff that looked like a raincoat and a few packs of band-aids.

"Smoochum isn't here yet, no doubt," complained Wooper. "She always takes the longest just to take a bath! Yuck!" He stuck out his tongue.

"Um... Why don't we go and get her at her house?" Budew suggested.

"Great idea, friends!" agreed Igglybuff. "Let's!"

...

So, the three friends went to where Smoochum's house was (Happy Vale didn't have any streets - it was just one big plain, remember). And they knocked on its door. "Hello!" sang Igglybuff. "It's us!"

Smoochum's mother opened the door for them. "Oh, hello," she said when she looked down and saw Igglybuff, Wooper and Budew. "You're looking for Smoochum, aren't you? Sorry, Smoochum's still in her room."

She grimaced. "Why don't you come in first? I'll call Smoochum for you."

Igglybuff, Wooper and Budew went inside and sat down on the pink sofa while Smoochum's mother climbed up the stairs to her room.

"Smoochum! Your friends are here!"

"Well, sorry Mom, I'm not finished getting dressed yet," they could hear Smoochum call back. "It takes this long for a proper lady to get dressed, you know."

Her mother, who was a 'proper lady', sighed. "I know, Smoochum," she said. "But a proper lady also knows that it's not wise to keep best friends waiting, remember?"

"Oh right," Smoochum said. "I almost forgot that one."

And finally, she emerged from her room.

"How do I look?" she asked, winking at her mother.

"You look fine, Smoochum," she said, despite the fact that the red hairbow she was wearing totally clashed with her dark pink skin and her blonde hair.

"OK!" With that, Smoochum flew down the stairs. "Here I am, friends!"

"About time," Wooper grumbled at the same time as Smoochum's mother who was descending the stairs.

"Yeah!" Igglybuff cheered, not seeming to remember that they'd had to wait for her to get dressed before they could go out and play. "Let's play catch!"

"OK!" everyone exclaimed, Wooper instantly brightening up. Then they rushed out of the house.

"Wooper, how do I look?" Smoochum's mother heard her ask as they rushed off to play.

"Umm, you look fine," Wooper replied, although he hasn't even noticed Smoochum's hairbow.

And finally Smoochum's mother closed the door as Igglybuff and his friends disappeared out of sight.

⌣»̶✽«̶

Once they reached the sunniest part of the Happy Vale, Igglybuff set down his paper bag of Gummis and his ball, while Budew put down his raincoat and the band-aids.

"Hey, let's choose the teams!" shouted Wooper as he whizzed by on his skateboard.

"I'm with Igglybuff!" exclaimed Budew, bounding over to his friends. He and Igglybuff instantly slapped high fives.

Wooper pouted. "Hey, does that mean I have to be with Smoochum?" he grumbled.

Smoochum in turn stuck her nose high into the air. "Well, so what if you get to team up with me?" she snapped. "Though I'm a proper, elegant lady, I'm still good at sports, mind you."

Wooper sighed. He ALWAYS gets to team up with Smoochum, and he was always looking forward to teaming up with Igglybuff or Budew for a change. Teaming up with Smoochum wasn't that bad, actually, and Smoochum was right - although she was picky and sensitive about her appearance, she WAS good at sports. The bad thing about Wooper and Smoochum was only that they were almost always arguing with each other.

"All right, you can be in my team," he gave in.

Smoochum instantly jumped around and flicked her eyelashes at him. "I won't disappoint you, Wooper," she sang, "As long as you promise not to stand in my way of excelling, either, OK?"

Wooper's face scrunched up into that of disgust, and Igglybuff and Budew laughed. Smoochum didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, well, let's just get this game started, shall we, friends?" Igglybuff said, tossing the ball into the middle of the field. "Ready, set... GO!"

And as Wooper and Smoochum both dove for the ball, their game of catch officially started.

* * *

⌣»̶✽«̶

"Chatot!"

Meanwhile, Chatot's family had finally reached their new home at the Happy Vale. It was a small but cozy-looking treehouse, a perfect fit for Mr. Perap, Mrs. Perap and Chatot. Its walls were painted bright blue, while the roof was painted a sunny yellow. The house had a small patio in front of it, where Mrs. Perap had arranged little pots of flowery shrubs. The house didn't have a ladder to get to - the Perap family didn't need a ladder, given that they could always fly up.

"Yes, Mom!" Chatot, who had been reading one of his favorite encyclopedias on the patio called back. He left his book on the wooden patio, straightened out his red-and-white polka-dotted bowtie, and flew into the house. "What is it?"

"Oh, there you are," said his mom, who was arranging the last small trinkets on the new shelves. "I was wondering where you'd got to."

"I never went anywhere, Mom," Chatot said, reaching into the cardboard box that lay near his mother's step stool to pick out a picture frame and handed it to her. "I was out on the patio, reading my encyclopedia."

"Oh, well, I just want to say that your dad and I are nearly finished arranging the furniture in the new house, so you can go outside and play if you want to," she replied.

"OK," Chatot said, "But I think I'll just sit outside and continue reading."

His mother looked away from the picture frames lined on the shelf to frown at him.

"Are you sure you don't want to go down there and explore?" she said. "I think it'll do you some good to get away from your world of books for a while and actually play with others your age. I thought I saw some kids pass by under our tree earlier?"

Chatot was quiet for a second. He also did see some kids who seemed to be his age running past their tree - the one at the front was light pink and shaped like a bouncy ball, and he was actually carrying a ball his size. Another was blue and was wearing a blue helmet and whizzing by on a matching blue skateboard. There was a girl next to the ball-shaped one - she was blonde, had dark pink skin and was wearing a red hairbow that didn't seem to match the rest of her outfit. And the last one was trying to catch up to the others - he was small and green, and was dragging along a bundle behind him.

He finally gave in. "OK, I'll go out and explore," he agreed. He also didn't think his encyclopedias could keep him entertained that long, either.

"OK! Have a good time, Chatot!" his mother called out as he went outside again. He picked up his book then set off in the direction the group he'd seen earlier had gone.

* * *

⌣»̶✽«̶

"Ow!" "Ouch!"

Thirty minutes of catch had elapsed, but Wooper and Smoochum, as always, wanted to be the one who got the ball at the same time. It wasn't surprising that they bumped their heads on each other's as they both dove for the ball for what seemed to be the thirtieth time.

"Ow... Smoochum!" Wooper groaned, rubbing his head. "It's my turn to catch the ball now!"

"No it isn't," snapped Smoochum. "And have I mentioned anything about not standing in my way, Wooper?"

"Yeah, but-" Wooper shot back, but he was interrupted when a dark shadow flew over them.

Everyone instantly looked up. "Wh-what was that?" wondered Budew. "Was that a Fearow?" Budew trembled even harder after having mentioned a fierce, scary bird Pokémon. And Grass-types like him didn't like birds.

"The shadow seemed to be headed for that tree!" exclaimed Wooper, pointing at a dense tree a few meters away. "Come on, let's see what it was!"

He hopped onto his skateboard and whizzed away, and his friends had no other choice but to follow. Budew followed a bit reluctantly.

Wooper reached the tree first and looked up at the dense leaves."Who are you?" he demanded. "Show yourself!"

Suddenly, there was a crash and a thud and a scraping noise as if someone had brushed over the leaves rather clumsily.

"Oh, ow! Squawk!"

Wooper and Budew looked at each other. That didn't seem to be the cries of a fearsome bird Pokémon.

"Ugh!" CRASH! THUD! "Squaaaaawk!"

Wooper, who was at the front, yelped and jumped back when a figure practically fell off the tree and landed in front of him.

THUD!

"Ow," the figure groaned again, rubbing his bruised and scratched wings. "That hurt."

Igglybuff and his friends stared at him. They had never seen him before: he was a Flying-type, all right, but unlike the brown Pidgey they usually see at the Happy Vale, this one was downright colorful. He had blue and yellow wings, a green and yellow stomach, a pink beak, a black head shaped like a music note , and a black tail shaped like the needle of a metronome. He was also wearing a red-and-white polka-dotted bowtie and carrying a leaf-stuffed book.

"Who are you?" Wooper repeated.

The figure who had fallen out of the tree shook his head as if to clear his vision of the dancing stars. "Urgh," he groaned as his vision finally cleared, and he could finally see Wooper, Igglybuff, Smoochum and Budew clearly.

"Oh, hello!" he exclaimed when he realized that he was ignoring Wooper. He jumped up. "Sorry. I was surprised when you shouted up at me, so I slipped and fell and etc. etc. and-"

Wooper raised his eyebrow. "Who are you? Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm OK!" the bird said enthusiastically, tidying his scrunched bowtie. "Well, I'm Chatot!"

Wooper smiled once he had answered his question. "Well, I'm glad you're OK," he replied. "I'm Wooper, by the way."

"Your landing was 100% inelegant," Smoochum chimed in.

Wooper rolled his eyes. "That's Smoochum," he said. "And Igglybuff and Budew. By the way, are you new here?"

"Yeah, I've just moved in with my mom and dad," Chatot replied.

"Oh! So you just moved in," said Smoochum, who seemed interested. "No wonder we've never seen you before. Where did you come from?"

"The Treetops Jungle," Chatot said. "It's a popular place for Flying-types, like me!" He flapped his colorful wings enthusiastically. "It's not very far from here, so we rode a van."

"Oh! You rode a van," Wooper also seemed interested, since they don't usually see vehicles at the Happy Vale. "That's cool!"

Chatot seemed to disagree. "It isn't if you have to ride in the back with the cardboard boxes," he grimaced.

"So where's your house now?" Budew spoke up.

"Oh, now I live in a treehouse," Chatot explained. "It's somewhere over there." He pointed in a direction.

"A treehouse?" Smoochum's eyes widened. "That's fun! Can we come and visit you sometime? Besides, your house is near mine! That means I can have my bath a little longer..."

Wooper interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, can we come to your house to play sometime?"

Chatot laughed. "Of course you can." Then he quickly added, "But I'm going to need to ask Dad to build a ladder first..."

To this point, Igglybuff hasn't said anything. Now he said, "Hey, Chatot, friend, do you want to play catch with us?"

"Oh, yeah!" Smoochum exclaimed. "We've completely forgotten about our game of catch. Come on, say you'll play!"

"Umm..." Chatot wavered. "I don't know... I'm not that good at sports..."

"Oh come on, friend!" Igglybuff sang. "It'll be fun!"

"No, thank you," Chatot said, more firmly this time. "I'll just sit here and watch you play. It's all right. I'll just sit here and read or something."

"Oh, OK. We won't push you if you don't want to," said Budew, although Igglybuff still seemed as if he wanted to get their new friend to play with them. Budew turned to his catch player friends. "Come on, let's continue our game, shall we?"

"Yeah! Come on!" exclaimed Wooper, and they bounded off.

Chatot, meanwhile, sat down and began to read.

They played catch many times, with Igglybuff's and Budew's team winning every single one, only stopping to eat Igglybuff's Gummis (Igglybuff picked all the yellow ones, Wooper blue, Smoochum pink, Budew green and Chatot red). Their last game ended a little before sunset, and since Budew had to be home before dusk, they decided to call it a day and go home. However, they decided to meet again the next day to play, including the newcomer Chatot.

"Bye, friends!" said Igglybuff as they dispersed back to their homes.


	2. Fights

**~Igglybuff vs. Chatot~**

**Chapter Two: Fights**

The next day, Igglybuff met Wooper and Budew first, as usual. And as usual, Wooper was complaining about Smoochum's long baths.

"She is always late because of those long princess' baths of hers," he grumbled. "It wouldn't have been a surprise if Chatot came late, since he's new here and all, but Smoochum has lived here all her life!"

Surprisingly, the next one to arrive was Chatot. He was huffing and puffing as he flew and landed somewhat inelegantly.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he panted. "I got lost on the way here." He wheezed. "Twice, actually."

"That's all right, friend! Smoochum isn't here yet, anyway," replied Igglybuff. "I'm beginning to think we may have to pick her up at her house again," sighed Budew as Wooper snorted.

That was when Igglybuff noticed that Chatot was holding a different book from yesterday. "Hey! New book?" he said.

"Oh, yeah," Chatot said, still panting slightly, showing Igglybuff the book.

Igglybuff looked at the cover. "The Mysteries of Space? Wow! That sounds cool! Does it tell stories of aliens and martian space stations?"

"And space wars?" asked Wooper.

"No," said Chatot. "This isn't a storybook - this is an encyclopedia. It's filled with facts, so I'm afraid it doesn't tell stories about martians nor space wars. It mainly gives details of the planets, stars, satellites, and asteroids. Things like that."

Wooper looked astonished. "What? Asteroids, as in space rocks?! Don't you get bored reading about those stuff?"

"No," said Chatot as if he didn't know what Wooper meant. "I don't get bored. Reading is my hobby."

"Yeah, but about space rocks?!" exclaimed Wooper. "I don't know how you stand it, Chatot."

"I do stand it," Chatot said. "And I think space rocks are fascinating."

They continued arguing, and was only interrupted by...

Smoochum!

"Hellooo, everyone," she sang. "What do you think of my blue hairbow today?"

"Umm, it's pretty, Smoochum," said Budew distractedly. "Come on you two, let's go and play already!"

"Oh, finally! You're here, Smoochum!" exclaimed Wooper. He and Chatot stopped arguing.

"Yeah, let's play!" Budew shrilled. "Finally! Let's play tag today!"

And they ran off to play.

⌣»̶✽«̶

They finally found their usual spot where they had played catch yesterday. Chatot immediately sat down.

Igglybuff bounced over. "Aren't you going to play with us?" he asked.

"No, thank you," he said. "I'm going to finish my book today so I could move on to the Mysteries of the Mesozoic Era one tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Igglybuff looked crestfallen.

"I'm sure," said Chatot.

"All right," Igglybuff said slowly. "OK then. I'll just go and play with Wooper and Smoochum and Budew."

And he did.

...

However, it went on like that the next day, and the next, and the next. Chatot's plan was to finish Mysteries of the Mesozoic Era so he could move on to Atom Structures and the Periodic Table of the Elements. The next day he wanted to finish Atom Structures and the Periodic Table of the Elements so he could move on to Dynamic Electricity. Then he wanted to finish Dynamic Electricity so he could move on to The Five Kingdoms of Biological Life.

Even Wooper said, "That Chatot sure has many encyclopedias. I don't know how many facts he could cram into that brain of his from them!"

His other friends had nothing else to do but to shake their heads helplessly.

Then one day, Igglybuff couldn't take it anymore. He didn't understand why Chatot loved reading so much, why he'd choose reading over playing catch or tag or mud fights (Wooper's idea).

"Come on, friend," he said one day, looming over Chatot who was calmly reading another encyclopedia under a tree. "You've finished The Mysteries of Ancient Greece yesterday, right? So play catch with us today," he pushed.

"Yeah, I did finish The Mysteries of Ancient Greece yesterday, but now I'm starting to read The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt," Chatot said, showing Igglybuff the cover. It had a drawing of a weird jackal-headed man standing on one side of an enormous scale, while an ibis-headed man was standing on the other side, holding a piece of papyrus and a long writing tool.

Igglybuff thought they looked weird but didn't say anything about that. "Come on, you've been doing nothing but reading books since we met you. Play with us for a change! Please?"

"No thank you," said Chatot.

"Aww, come on," whined Igglybuff.

"No," said Chatot shortly.

"Come on! Just this once!" Igglybuff pushed, and he grabbed hold of the left side of Chatot's book, pulling it towards him. "Put your book down, just this once!"

"No," Chatot snapped, grabbing the right side of his book and pulling it back. "I said no, and that's that."

Wooper, Smoochum, and Budew looked at one another. Sure, Igglybuff was being really pushy, but they couldn't understand why Chatot loved reading so much that he didn't want to do anything else with them, either.

"Come on!" exclaimed Igglybuff, pulling it back. "No!" Chatot shot back, pulling even harder. "YES!" snapped Igglybuff. "NO!" squawked Chatot. It was fast turning into a verbal battle of 'yes' and 'no', excluding the rough pulling of Chatot's book.

They each pulled even harder... And harder... And harder yet! Wooper's, Smoochum's, and Budew's eyes widened.

Suddenly there was a small ripping, tearing sound.

"IGGLYBUFF! Let GO!" shrieked Chatot in alarm, but it was too late. With just one horrible RRRIPP, the book was ripped clean in half.

Igglybuff and Chatot lost their balance and tumbled backwards onto the ground, each holding a half of Chatot's book. Igglybuff was holding the half with the jackal-headed man on it, while Chatot was holding the half with the ibis-headed one on it.

Everyone was speechless.

Chatot was the one who broke that seemingly never-ending silence.

"Why... Why... IGGLYBUFF...! YOU...!" he screeched - not squawked - as he flapped his wings really fast, causing a few papers from his half of the book to fly out. "Look what you've done to my book! And this is a very special one - my dad bought it for me on my last birthday! And The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt is my favorite topic!"

Igglybuff didn't understand why Chatot was so angry. He didn't seem to understand the importance of books yet so he merely said, "Oh, whoopsy-daisy! Well, at least if your book is unreadable anymore, that means you'll have no choice but to play with us, right?"

Chatot went red in the face. His eyes were flashing - impressively, thought Budew - with anger. Suddenly he stood up and grabbed the half with the jackal-headed man on it from Igglybuff and snapped, "No. I'm going home!"

And he stomped - not flew - away home.

"Whoopsy-daisy," echoed Budew.


	3. Foes

**~Igglybuff vs. Chatot~**

**Chapter Three: Foes**

The next day, Igglybuff, Wooper, and Budew didn't see Chatot when they met up to play. "He doesn't want to play with us, no doubt," Igglybuff said coolly. "The only thing he wants to do is read his book."

Wooper and Budew said nothing.

So, after picking up Smoochum at her house, who was wearing a green hairbow this time, they went to their usual spot.

"So, what are we going to play today?" asked Smoochum.

"Let's play handball!" Wooper exclaimed, but he hastily added, "I'm with Budew this time!"

"OK!" Igglybuff agreed. "That means I'm with Smoochum."

As usual, he threw the ball to the middle of their playing field. "Ready... Set... GO!" And Wooper and Smoochum hastily dove for the ball again (well, at least now they're in different teams!).

Wooper got the ball. He threw it to Budew, who caught it and passed it back to Wooper who was running towards the other team's goal.

Suddenly Smoochum was in front of him and grabbed the ball from right under his nose.

"Hey!" Wooper cried out and ran after Smoochum. Smoochum, meanwhile, tossed the ball to Igglybuff, who bounced and sent the ball into Wooper's and Budew's goal.

"WHOOOO!" Smoochum cheered. "Way to go, Igglybuff! That's what I call not holding me back from excelling! See, I passed him the ball!"

"OK, OK," Wooper said, running over. "That's one point for you. But we're going to catch up, you can be sure of that!"

Igglybuff threw the ball to the middle again, and Smoochum got it. She wasted no time running towards Budew's and Wooper's goal, but then she saw that they were blocking her way. "Igglybuff!" she cried as she passed him the ball. Igglybuff caught it expertly and threw it at Wooper's and Budew's goal.

Only the ball didn't exactly go into it, it sailed over it instead! It missed the goal and straight into a tree. And it didn't come down.

"Oh great, Igglybuff!" shrilled Smoochum as she ran over. "Your ball's stuck!"

Igglybuff looked sheepish. "Uh... Whoopsy-daisy?" he chuckled meekly.

...

For the next few minutes or so, the four of them tried to get the ball down from the tree, but all their efforts were futile. The ball was stuck, and it seemed to be determined to stay stuck.

Igglybuff looked really sad. "My ball!" he groaned. "My lovely ball, and it was covered with pictures of Apples and Gummis. It's lost!"

"Don't give up yet, Igglybuff," said Wooper. "I'm going to try and climb the tree!"

He walked over to it and began to climb up, but in a matter of seconds he had slid down again. He tried again and again, but always got the same result. He looked balefully at his short arms. "Butterfingers!" he grumbled.

"Don't worry Igglybuff, I'll try and jump for your ball!" Smoochum said. She took Wooper's place but in a matter of minutes also admitted defeat - the ball was stuck too high up.

"Now what?" Budew wailed. "We can't play handball if we don't get it back."

"We can!" exclaimed Smoochum. "I've got a glittery pink ball we can use instead."

"But I've still got to get my ball back!" cried Igglybuff. "It's special." Then he added under his breath, "Maybe as special as that bookworm Chatot's Ancient Egyptian book is to him!"

Wooper, Smoochum, and Budew understood how he felt completely after seeing Chatot's reaction when Igglybuff had ripped his book.

"Hmm. Getting it would be easier if one of us could fly," said Budew. "If one of us had wings, he could just fly up and get it." Then he giggled when Wooper stared at him. "I'm just joking. None of us has wings, after all."

Suddenly Smoochum got an idea. "Maybe none of us can't fly," she said, "But I know someone who can!"

Igglybuff's eyes widened. "No. No. No. No. Please don't say...!"

"Of course you know what I'm thinking, Igglybuff," said Smoochum calmly. "Do you want to get your ball back or not?"

"Yeah, but-" protested Igglybuff.

"All right, I'll talk to him if you don't want to," Wooper said, frowning. "You don't have to do anything... Although I think you should talk to him sometime, Igglybuff, you haven't said sorry to him about accidentally ripping his book, have you?"

"No," snarled Igglybuff. "No way I'm apologizing to that moody, un-fun, bookworm of a Chatot. No way am I going to apologize to that _foe_."

Wooper, Smoochum, and Budew looked at one another. They all knew that if Igglybuff called someone his foe, it was a way for him of saying, "This is _war_."

⌣»̶✽«̶

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Mrs. Perap looked up from the pumpkin pie dough she was making. "Chatot, would you get the door, please?" she called.

Chatot, who was reading his bedraggled, taped-up and messy Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, shouted back, "OK Mom!" He set down his book and went to the front door. When he opened it, he was a bit surprised to see Wooper standing there.

"Oh. Hello," he said unenthusiastically. "It's you, Wooper." He looked around cautiously. "Where's Igglybuff?"

"Nowhere!" Wooper said cheerfully. "Igglybuff isn't with me. Actually, I was only going to ask you if you would help me. Hee-hee!"

"My help? With what?"

"Well you see," Wooper said, "My friends and I were playing handball, but then the ball bounced really high and got stuck in a tree! I was wondering if you would help me fly up and get it down."

"Hmm," Chatot thought for a second. Finally he said, "OK. I'll help you, Wooper."

"Brilliant!" said Wooper. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."

⌣»̶✽«̶

* * *

...

**Banette and Skorupi** are bullies. They have picked on Igglybuff's group more often than not, and so it was understandable if Smoochum, Budew, and even Wooper were afraid of them. Igglybuff was the only one who wasn't. By 'picking on Igglybuff's group', I meant scaring them and stealing their Gummis and challenging them to do stuff their parents not allowed them to do and calling them babies if they refused.

They have spent the last few days on 'expeditions' to a nearby forest called Murky Woods. It was rumoured to be the hiding place of a fierce monster, and Banette and Skorupi were determined to find that monster if it existed.

However, their expeditions were called to an end when they heard a single roar of the mysterious monster, and they decided that they'd had enough of expeditions to last them a whole year.

...

"What do we do now?" Skorupi grumbled. "I've had enough of expeditions, and picking on Igglybuff and his little friends are starting to get _boring_. They're such wimps!"

"Yeah, I know," yawned Banette. "Why don't you gimme a sec and I'll think of something." He sat back and his thought began to wander.

That was when Skorupi sat bolt upright. "Hey, do you see something?"

He pointed at something as Banette scooted over to look. Their wooden clubhouse - or villain headquarters as Wooper called it - stood in the middle of a small bog surrounded by gnarling trees. It was complete with a drawbridge they could lower to stretch across the bog, but it was a tight fit for the two of them. Skorupi had to shrink himself a little bit so Banette could sit next to him before the window.

Banette trained his eyes in the direction Skorupi was pointing. He saw Wooper walking with a Pokémon they have never seen before. He was a very colorful bird, and he was wearing a red-and-white polka-dotted bowtie. "New kid," said Skorupi.

Banette was silent for a moment. Then he and Skorupi exchanged meaningful looks. Suddenly smiles crept over their faces.

"Brilliant. At last we've got something to do," sneered Banette dangerously.

"Oh yeah! Kid-scaring time!" Skorupi whooped.

⌣»̶✽«̶

* * *

**Wooper and Chatot** were at the tree in no time flat. They only saw Smoochum and Budew, since Smoochum thought it would have been awkward if Igglybuff were there too.

"Where is it?" asked Chatot, and Wooper pointed up at a particular tree. "Oh, OK," said Chatot, and he easily flew up and took the ball down from the tree with him.

"There you go, Wooper," said Chatot as he landed elegantly this time. But he didn't know that Igglybuff was actually watching, hiding behind the clump of bushes behind him. Well, all of them including Wooper, Smoochum and Budew also didn't know that certain bullies were hiding behind another clump of bushes nearby!

"OK, Skorupi," said Banette. "It's almost time for action!"

Chatot reached out a wing to hand the ball over to Wooper, but exactly at that moment Banette and Skorupi suddenly emerged from the bushes behind them, waving their arms and making weird noises.

Wooper, Chatot, Smoochum, and Budew were surprised! They all jumped and shrieked, "Aaaarrghh!"

Chatot even accidentally let go of the ball, which began to bounce away and into a dark, dreary-looking cave.

Seeing that, Igglybuff sprang out of hiding. "My ball!" he cried.

Smoochum glared at Banette and Skorupi who were laughing their heads off. "It's you two!" she snapped indignantly. "Why, can't you even go through one day without pulling pranks on us?!" Banette and Skorupi took no notice of her, of course.

Chatot had now planted his wings on his hips. Igglybuff's sudden appearance had distracted him temporarily from the bullies' surprise.

"Squawk! Igglybuff!" he exclaimed. "Where did you spring from?!"

"Never mind that," snapped Igglybuff. "Look what you've done to my ball, Chatot! You shouldn't have let go of it. Now it's lost again!"

"What? YOUR ball?! I didn't even know it was YOUR ball! Squawk! And you say this is MY fault! Why, Igglybuff, you are such an ungrateful..."

"Never mind that," Igglybuff repeated. "I've got to go in there and get it!"

"Oh! But you can't go in there alone!" Budew cried out in fright. "I don't want to! It's very dark in there!"

"M-me too," Smoochum said meekly. "People say you can't even see your hand in front of your face in there!"

Igglybuff turned hopefully to Wooper. He nervously shuffled his feet. "Uh... I don't know... My mother told me to, you know, be home before dusk," he said meekly.

Banette and Skorupi laughed even harder. "Babies!" laughed Banette. He turned to Chatot. "What about you? Are you a wimpy baby, too?"

Chatot's face went red. "Of course not! Squawk!" he snapped angrily. "I'm not a baby! And I'm not a wimp! I'm-"

"Prove it, then," challenged Banette. "Go into the cave with Igglybuff if you're not a babyish wimp!"

Chatot stuck his beak into the air. "With pleasure!" Then he flew after Igglybuff.

"What are we going to do now?" Skorupi asked as Wooper, Smoochum and Budew stared after Igglybuff and Chatot.

Banette rubbed his hands together. "Let's go in there after 'em," he replied. "It's time for phase two of our kid-scaring plan!"


	4. Frenzy

**~Igglybuff vs. Chatot~**

**Chapter Four: Frenzy**

...

"Igglybuff! Squawk! Igglybuff!"

Igglybuff was surprised when he heard someone call his name in the dark cave. However, he already knew who that someone was.

"Chatot," he said without enthusiasm as the bowtie-wearing figure caught up to him. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me in?"

"Of course not," said Chatot. "I had to go in or that bully'll call me a baby and a wimp."

Igglybuff didn't say anything, because he knew Banette would call him a baby and a wimp anyway even if he did go into the cave. That was how Banette just was.

However he didn't say that aloud. They crept on in silence.

* * *

Meanwhile, Banette and Skorupi were also in the cave.

"Umm... Tell me again what we're gonna do here?" said Skorupi.

"Well," said Banette, "first we'll overtake Igglybuff and the new kid. We won't let them see us, of course - we just need to be ahead of them. Then we'll lie in wait in their path and ambush them when they pass us!"

"Hoo, it's an awesome plan!" Skorupi exclaimed in excited anticipation. "It's so awesome I'm shivering all over! Hee-hee!" And he let out a somewhat nervous laugh. "Hee-hee-hee! We'll lie in wait in a dark, dreary cave. Awesome! Hee-hee!"

"Sshh," snapped Banette. "Be quiet. We won't want them to hear us."

"Oh. Right. Sorry," said Skorupi, and they walked even deeper into the darkness.

At a point Banette suddenly halted. "Sshh," he hissed, and he peered over a large boulder. Then he tapped Skorupi's shoulder and pointed in a direction.

Skorupi joined Banette behind the boulder and looked in the direction he was pointing. He saw Igglybuff and Chatot, and they were arguing. Igglybuff didn't understand how a book with pictures of men with animal heads on them was special. Chatot, meanwhile, didn't understand how a ball with pictures of Gummis on it was special.

"Great. They're too occupied to see us," whispered Banette. "But still, we should duck down and lie low when we're passing by them. We can lie in wait after this."

"OK! Lying in wait! Hee-hee!" replied Skorupi.

"Sshh," snapped Banette. Skorupi said nothing else as they slunk past Igglybuff and Chatot.

Once they had reached a somewhat suitable spot to lie in wait, they halted and made themselves comfortable behind some boulders. The spot was near the mouth to another cavern.

"Let's wait here," Banette suggested, and Skorupi nodded.

They hadn't waited for five minutes when they heard sounds - no, voices, to be exact - coming from the nearby cavern.

"Why don't we go in there and see who's there?" Banette suddenly suggested. "I don't think Igglybuff and his little friend would be here any time soon."

"OK," agreed Skorupi, and they moved cautiously into the cavern.

They hid behind a boulder in the darkest corner of the cavern and peered over it.

And what they saw was amazing!

There were crates and crates of glittery items, from jewels and precious stones to golden jewelry to golden coins. And standing in the middle of the cavern, surrounded by the piles and piles of glitz, were three Pokémon.

"Look, Skorupi!" hissed Banette. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?! They look like treasure thieves, and all these stuff must be their loot! Otherwise they wouldn't need to hide in a dreary cave like this."

"You're right," gasped Skorupi in hushed tones.

One of them was a female Bug-type Vespiquen, who seemed to be the boss of the gang because she was doing nothing but telling her cronies what to do. She had two henchmen: one was a Dragon-type Shelgon and the other was an Electric-type Electrode. They were big and burly, but Banette observed that although they might be brawny, they weren't brainy - Banette and Skorupi had to try really hard not to laugh at their silly mistakes as Vespiquen continued to yell at them.

* * *

...

"It's your fault my ball rolled into this cave!"

Banette suddenly straightened up. That sounded like Igglybuff! They had finally reached the spot where they were supposed to have lain in wait.

"This is all your fault. My ball is missing, and it wasn't just any ball - my Papa gave it to me as an early birthday present, and it's got the picture of Apples and Gummis on it. A really colorful ball, it was. And now it's lost. All because of you!"

Igglybuff and the new kid must be back to arguing about whose fault Igglybuff's ball being lost was. 'What a bunch of babies,' he thought.

That was when another voice broke in.

"Eh, excuse me?!" the angry voice snapped. "Your ball being missing is MY fault?! Squawk! Igglybuff, you are about the most incompetent, obnoxious, babyish, capricious, clumsy, air-headed, erratic-"

The voice then used a whole line of hard words Banette didn't even know the meaning of, but Igglybuff's retort was simple:

"Chatot, has anyone ever told you that you talk too much? And besides that, you are such a meanie. So there."

Chatot the newcomer had meanwhile obviously got even angrier because his voice was rising with every passing second. "IGGLYBUFF! SQUAWK! WHY, YOU...!"

'Hmm,' thought Banette. 'So the new kid's called Chatot.' He rolled his eyes. 'But Igglybuff's right, he does talk too much.'

Skorupi must also have heard Igglybuff and Chatot, because he whispered, "What do we do now? They're already here! If we jump out and surprise them, the thieves will see us. But if we don't, then all this lying in wait has been for nothing!"

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking," Banette hissed.

But it was too late, because the treasure thieves had also heard Igglybuff's and Chatot's voices.

Vespiquen tensed. "What was that?" she snapped to her henchmen. "Did you hear voices?"

Electrode and Shelgon looked at each other. "N-no, Boss," they stammered. "We don't hear anything else but your voice."

Vespiquen's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Shelgon and Electrode quickly added, "And our own voices, of course. And, err, the sound of silence. Yeah. Nothing else but those."

"SILENCE!" snapped Vespiquen. "How am I supposed to know whether there really was a voice or not when you're chattering like that?!"

"Yes, Boss. Sorry, Boss," chorused Shelgon and Electrode. "It was HIS fault, Boss," Shelgon added, shooting dark looks at Electrode. "HEY! It ain't my fault!" snarled Electrode. "You're the one who wouldn't stop talking!" "Am not!" Said Shelgon. "Are too!"

"SILENCE!" thundered Vespiquen, and Banette and Skorupi had to laugh super quietly. "I said, SILENCE! We'll never know whether there was a voice or not if you won't stop-"

"SQUAWK! Igglybuff! Wait up!"

That was when Vespiquen heard it. "There really was a voice!" she snapped to her henchmen. "Someone else is in our cave!"

"What do we do, Boss?" asked Shelgon.

Vespiquen was about to reply when she was interrupted by another voice.

"Hey! I see it! My ball! It's in that cavern!"

The other voice snapped again. "Squawk! What cavern?!"

"That one, see. The one with the light in it! Ugh, if you still can't see it, Chatot, you're going to jolly well need glasses!"

Vespiquen gasped. "They're going to go into our cavern! They're going to see our loot! We can't let them get in here - they'll now too much!" she cried.

"Uhh... What do we do then, Boss?" Shelgon asked again.

"Remember our Plan T?" asked Vespiquen suddenly. "When they go into our cavern, get ready to put Plan T in action when I say the word 'NOW'!"

"Yes, Boss!" chorused Shelgon and Electrode as Banette and Skorupi looked at each other. Plan T? What in the world was Plan T?

Suddenly, they could hear the voice again.

"There it is, my ball! Yay! My ball!"

And the next second, Igglybuff had barged straight into Vespiquen's cavern!

* * *

Vespiquen stared at Igglybuff.

The henchmen stared at Igglybuff.

Their mouths were open.

Vespiquen thought, "He is just a _kid_!"

Skorupi wasn't staring at Igglybuff. He followed Igglybuff's gaze, and finally saw a ball with pictures of Apples and Gummis on it lying in the corner. Igglybuff's ball had really rolled into Vespiquen's cavern.

Igglybuff himself was the one who broke the open-mouthed silence.

"Wow! What _is_ this place?!"

* * *

...

Meanwhile, Chatot was still outside Vespiquen's cavern, lying low behind some boulders. He hadn't followed Igglybuff in when he saw that the cavern already had occupants inside, and Chatot, being Chatot, knew that it was best to see what they were doing first. Igglybuff was so excited that he'd seen his ball that he had barged straight in.

Chatot was a bit suspicious when he saw all the glittery items littered around the three 'occupants'. He also wondered what Plan T meant, which he had overheard Vespiquen talk about.

Well, he saw soon enough.

"Oh, this is certainly not a place for kids, young boy," said Vespiquen in a cooing voice. "What are you doing here? Aren't your parents worried about you? Why don't you run along home now? I bet your mom's made dinner already."

Igglybuff didn't answer. He was too busy gaping at the glittering treasures around him.

Vespiquen grumbled slightly. She'd had experience when it comes to dealing matters with the police, but when it comes to little kids, she'd had zero experience.

"Shelgon, Electrode," she said in the same cooing voice... Which changed 100% when she shrieked the word, "NOW!"

And with that, Chatot's eyes widened in horror, for Shelgon was hoisting a small metal cage above his head, as if he was about to slam it over Igglybuff!

Chatot would never know what had gotten over him next. He'd never know how he had got the urge to jump forward and push Igglybuff, his foe, out of harm's way, at the same time yelling, "IGGLYBUFF! LOOK OUT!"

Igglybuff rolled like a ball away from Shelgon's aim and crashed into the wall near the boulder which Banette and Skorupi were hiding behind. Igglybuff raised his head, groaning, but Banette and Skorupi had quickly grabbed him and pulled him behind the boulder when the thieves were distracted.

And Chatot? Well, he looked up just in time to see steel bars slam down before his eyes.

He was trapped!

"Well, well, well," said Vespiquen triumphantly, bending down. "What do we have here? It's a cute little parrot. Ooh, no, it's a colorful, _heroic_ bowtie-wearing parrot, trying to save his little friend! How _cute."_

Chatot glared at her. "Let me go," he snapped angrily.

"Hmm, I don't think so," said Vespiquen. "No way am I going to let you go after you've seen our loot. You already know too much, your fate is practically sealed. You're not seeing daylight again!" She turned to her hungry henchmen. "What do you say to roast bird for supper?"

Shelgon and Electrode went beady-eyed that they almost looked bloodthirsty. "Ooh, yes Boss. That sounds tasty!"

A few meters away from them, everything was still spinning before Igglybbuff's eyes. "Ohh," he groaned.

"Sshh!" hissed an alarmed Banette. "Not so loud!"

Igglybuff shook his head and his vision finally cleared. So did his memory.

He suddenly gasped and shot straight up. "What just happened...?! Someone was trying to _cage_ me!"

"Ssshh," hissed Banette. "Someone _was_, but not anymore. Now Chatot's the one in danger! Don't you think we should... You know..."

"Save him?" Skorupi squeaked for him.

Igglybuff frowned as his vision finally cleared 100%. "Save him? My _foe_?"

Banette's and Skorupi's jaws dropped open. "Igglybuff!" hissed Banette in the loudest whisper he could manage. "I don't believe it! You're still calling him a foe after he did that to you?!"

Igglybuff didn't answer. He kept staring straight ahead.

"Igglybuff!" Banette groaned in exasperation. "Chatot was brave - for a wimpy baby, of course - and he practically rushed in there to save you. We saw everything. We did. He saved you, Igglybuff, and now he's the one in big trouble. Now it's your turn, Igglybuff. It's your turn!"

Igglybuff froze. Those were the nicest words Banette has ever said about anyone, never mind someone Igglybuff's age.

Then Igglybuff realized that those words made sense. After what he had just done, Chatot was still his foe?

Really?

Igglybuff peered over the boulder. Chatot was still trapped in the cage, and Vespiquen's henchmen were poking him with sticks. "Ooh, he's quite chubby," said Electrode. "We're going to have quite a meal!"

"Ow!" Chatot snapped as Shelgon poked him again. "That hurt. Stop poking me!"

Vespiquen hovered over. "That's enough, boys!" she said. "I think we should do something so he can't scream or attract attention."

"Yes, Boss," said Shelgon and Electrode, saluting. They seemed to be happy they were going to have a decent meal at last.

At that point, Igglybuff lowered himself behind the boulder again.

_Now it's your turn, Igglybuff. _

Igglybuff swallowed. Should he go in there and save him?

_It's your turn._

Igglybuff made up his mind. He stood up.

Banette and Skorupi exchanged meaningful looks. "Go, Igglybuff!" whispered Skorupi.

Igglybuff didn't even hear Skorupi's silent cheer. Suddenly he felt something bubbling inside him. Was it... Anger? Determination?

_It's your turn._

Igglybuff jumped out of hiding. "Hey, you!" he snapped. "Let him go!"

Vespiquen and her henchmen looked up. Chatot looked up too. His eyes were filled with surprise.

"Oooooohhh," drawled Vespiquen as she flew over, and Banette and Skorupi ducked even lower behind the boulder. "It's the cute pink thing we saw earlier. Hahaha! I almost forgot about him."

"Oh this is great!" exclaimed Shelgon with anticipation. "We're going to have two dinners!"

Igglybuff glared at the thieves. "I don't think so, _foes_!"

And with that, he launched himself at Vespiquen like a bouncy ball.

"Ow!" cried Vespiquen as Igglybuff hit him. "Ow! What do you think you're doing?!"

Igglybuff bounced off Vespiquen as if she were a tennis racket and he was the ball, and now aimed at Shelgon instead. Shelgon tried to duck, but being slow and fat, he found that his plan wasn't working for him at all.

Igglybuff bounced off Shelgon and then hit Electrode, then back at Vespiquen. Soon he looked more like a pink bouncy ball, bouncing off the thieves and the cavern walls.

Banette saw his chance.

"Come on, while the thieves are distracted!" Banette said to Skorupi. "Huh? What are we going to do?" stammered Skorupi, but Banette had already sprang out of hiding.

Banette went over to Chatot's cage as Skorupi followed him rather fearfully. "We'll help by setting bowtied kid free, of course," Banette explained to Skorupi matter-of-factly.

It was easier said than done.

However much they pushed, pulled, lifted and hefted, the cage wasn't budging. "Brilliant. This cage is determined to stay locked," Banette groaned, but Skorupi got an idea.

"A key!" he gasped. "We need a key to open the cage."

Suddenly Chatot flapped his wings excitedly and exclaimed, "Squawk! I see it! The key! It's with Shelgon!"

Banette and Skorupi turned to see, and saw that indeed the key was hanging on Shelgon's belt. Shelgon himself was still teetering back and forth because of Igglybuff's attacks.

Banette frowned. "Wait here," he said. "This shouldn't take long." At that, Chatot huffed slightly. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

Banette sneaked around the thieves until he was directly behind Shelgon. Now he was only waiting for the perfect time...

WHAM! Igglybuff hit Shelgon again, and Shelgon teetered slightly, windmilling his arms. Banette took the chance to strike, and he deftly removed the key from Shelgon's belt. He sneaked back to Chatot's cage, and inserted the key into the lock.

Click! The cage opened!

"Squawk! Thank you!" exclaimed Chatot as he hopped out. "I guess the thieves wouldn't be having roast bird after all!"

"Don't mention it, new kid," said Banette.

"Now what do you say we help Igglybuff?" Chatot suggested. "He can't bounce around like that forever!"

Chatot was right. Igglybuff finally stopped bouncing, and sat on the floor instead while rubbing his head and groaning. He felt dizzy.

"Now to have our dinner," said Electrode as he rolled over to Igglybuff. Banette, however, had other ideas.

"Night Shade!" Banette chanted, enveloping Electrode in a ghastly, ominous shadow.

"Pin Missile!" shouted Skorupi, striking a confused Shelgon with a barrage of sharp poisoned missiles.

"CHATTER!" Chatot squawked, using his best - and loudest - attack, flying in the air above a dizzy Vespiquen and making her even dizzier as he squawked at the top of his lungs just above her head.

Everyone knows what triggers avalanches - loud noise. Unfortunately, loud noise also triggers something else, especially in rocky terrains like the one Igglybuff and the others were in - rockfalls.

The second Chatot finished his Chatter attack, stones began to fall from the ceiling. "Ow! What was that?!" a confused Shelgon groaned as a medium-sized stone bounced off his back.

"Oh! This whole place is falling apart!" shrieked Vespiquen - then realizing her mistake as bigger rocks began to fall down.

"Hurry up, Boss!" cried Electrode in alarm. "I'm not staying any longer in here!" He began to roll away to the entrance.

"Come on, Boss!" Shelgon called, turning around. "It's dangerous in here!"

However, Vespiquen was instead trying to go back into her cavern. "I'm not leaving without our loot!" she snapped stubbornly.

"We don't have time for that!" cried Shelgon. "Let's go!" He grabbed Vespiquen's wing and began to tow her to the entrance. "Besides, we'll only get caught if we bring our loot outside!" Suddenly he sounded wiser than his boss herself, despite the fact that both Shelgon and Electrode lag behind in brain race.

"NNNOOOOOOO!" Igglybuff's party could hear Vespiquen's shrieks as Shelgon pulled her away.

...

"Come on, you lot! Let's go!" Banette shouted as he and Skorupi dashed towards the entrance. Igglybuff paused to look back. "Wait a second - where's Chatot?"

"There he is," Skorupi called back, spotting Chatot flying just behind Igglybuff. "He's OK. Let's get out of here!"

He and Banette got out quickly, and Igglybuff and Chatot followed them. Igglybuff sighed - he wasn't coming out of the cave with his ball, after all.


	5. Friends

**~Igglybuff vs. Chatot~**

**Chapter Five: Friends**

Thirty minutes before that, Wooper, Smoochum, and Budew were waiting nervously outside the cave.

"Ugh... I knew this isn't a good idea!" wailed Budew. "They've been gone for almost an _hour_. Something must have happened to them! And after all, my mom told me not to go into that cave - there must be a good reason for that!"

Wooper frowned and stared at Budew. "Don't be such a pessimist, Budew," he chided. "Igglybuff maybe just hasn't found his ball yet, so he's still looking for it."

However, Smoochum spoke up. "But the bullies are in there too!" she reminded Wooper. "They must have dirty tricks up their sleeves!"

Budew wailed even louder. "Oh dear! You're right! The bullies followed them in. Well I'm not taking any chances - I'm telling my parents!"

And without another word, he marched off home. Wooper and Smoochum could only look at each other.

* * *

...

Word got around. Budew's parents told Igglybuff's parents, and at Budew's suggestion told Chatot's parents too. Igglybuff's mother was so worried that she called Chief of Police Magneton, who told his deputy, Magnemite. In a matter of minutes they were all standing before the cave along with some other Magnemite police officers. Igglybuff's mom was wringing her hands nervously.

That was when they heard it. There were loud rumbling sounds coming from inside the cave, and the ground was beginning to shake as if there was an earthquake.

"Oh my! What's happening?!" cried Igglybuff's mother.

No one answered, because they heard something else coming from inside the cave.

"NNOOOOOOOO!" And a Pokémon emerged from inside the cave.

Budew gasped. "Is that Igglybuff?!"

He got the answer soon enough.

It wasn't Igglybuff.

It was a Pokémon shaped like a ball and he was rolling in a panic out of the cave.

Now was Officer Magneton's turn to gasp. "That's an outlaw Pokémon we've been trying to find!" he cried to the Magnemite. "BZZZT! Electrode, a member of a gang of thieves who stole some ancient treasure from various ancient sites! BZZZT! Hurry, you lot! ARREST! ARREST!"

Budew and Igglybuff's mother were alarmed. "What! Treasure thief?!"

...

Electrode was more alarmed than Budew and Igglybuff's mother. Without another word he began to roll away from the police and the awaiting crowd.

His efforts were futile. In a blink of an eye, he was already surrounded by the Magnemite officers. "BZZZT! Arrest! Arrest!" they chanted.

...

After poor, unlucky Electrode, Shelgon and Vespiquen burst from the cave's opening. Shelgon was breathlessly towing Vespiquen while she was trying to squirm out of his grasp.

Magneton gasped again. "BZZZT! Shelgon, the other gang member! And last but not least Vespiquen, the leader of the treasure thieves! BZZZZT! ARREST! ARREST!"

Shelgon gasped as a group of Magnemite quickly surrounded him, but with one last pull, Vespiquen broke free of his grasp, even more desperate now that the police were involved.

"You can't catch me!" she shrieked as she ran away. "You'll never catch me! I'll find a way to get back my loot, if it's the last thing I-"

Well, sadly she never got to finish her sentence, because in a moment of quick wit Wooper had given his blue skateboard a tiny push with his foot. It rolled away and into Vespiquen's path. Vespiquen clumsily stepped on it, and let out a yelp as she shot forward on the skateboard. Finally she lost her balance and fell onto the ground with a THUD, the skateboard rolling away almost triumphantly from her.

And when she looked up, she found that she was already surrounded by the Magnemite. Even Officer Magneton himself was there. "BZZZT!" he buzzed. "You are under arrest!"

* * *

As the Magnemite went back to police headquarters herding a screaming Vespiquen and her two henchmen, Officer Magneton waited with the group in front of the cave for Igglybuff, Chatot, and the bullies.

The ground was still shaking, and the rocks that were falling down were getting bigger in size. However, the cave itself hasn't collapsed yet, to everyone's relief.

Suddenly, Smoochum cried out and pointed.

Budew and Wooper squinted their eyes and saw Banette and Skorupi running out of the cave!

"But where's Igglybuff?" cried Igglybuff's mom. "And Chatot?" said Chatot's mom.

Smoochum shrieked again. "There! There they are!"

Everyone looked in the direction Smoochum was pointing, and sure enough, they saw a little pink ball and a colorful parrot wearing a red-and-white spotty bowtie.

"OHH! My son!" cried Igglybuff's and Chatot's moms.

And as if on cue, the cave finally caved down with a huge rumble and a blinding cloud of dust.

Officer Magneton rushed towards Banette and Skorupi as Igglybuff's and Chatot's parents rushed towards their sons.

"BZZZT! Are you all right? Did anyone get hurt?" Officer Magneton asked.

"Oh no, Officer," said Banette, his attitude very different. "We're all right. And have the treasure thieves been caught? We met them inside the cave."

"BBZZZT! Yes, they have," replied Magneton. "Did you outwit them by yourselves? They were practically having a mental breakdown when they ran out." He sounded impressed.

"Yeah, we did," said Banette as if it was no big deal. However, he got a sharp nudge from Skorupi.

Rubbing his arm where Skorupi had just nudged him and glaring balefully, he finally admitted, "With a little help, that is."

* * *

...

After all the hubbub and excitement had died down (and Mrs. Pukurin had finished chiding her son for his disobedience but at the same time glad that he was safe and hugged Igglybuff many times and cried and laughed at the same time that it made Igglybuff dizzy), the party was ready to go home. Officer Magneton had set off to return to his police headquarters after learning that the treasure thieves had been outwitted by Banette and Skorupi 'with a little help' from Igglybuff and Chatot.

Igglybuff was a bit sad as they watched Officer Magneton go. "Oh well, I guess we'll be playing with Smoochum's ball tomorrow," he sighed.

Suddenly Chatot cleared his throat. "Umm... I don't think so," he said, and he handed Igglybuff something he'd been hiding behind his back.

Igglybuff might have as well burst with relief at that. "OH! My ball! My ball with the Apples and Gummis on it! You got it for me, Chatot! Thank you!" He seemed to temporarily forget that Chatot was his foe.

"You're welcome," said Chatot shortly. "I had time to grab it before we had to go when the cave started to fall apart."

And then silence.

* * *

...

On the way home, Igglybuff sidled up to Chatot.

"Chatot?"

"Hmm?"

"I just want to say..." Igglybuff looked down at his hands, and swallowed, and finally said, "I'm sorry for ruining your book with the weird men on it. I didn't mean to, I mean, I just wish you'd play with us sometimes, and I don't understand why you'd rather read your book with the weird men on it instead of playing a good game of catch or handball or... Yeah, well... Sorry."

Chatot blinked. Igglybuff had said that all in one breath. Without pausing.

"Squawk! Me too. I'm sorry for not wanting to play with you," he finally replied. "I guess I was spending too much time with my encyclopedias and not enough time with my-"

"Friends?" Igglybuff finished for him, smiling. He looked enthusiastic to turn to a clean page and start their friendship anew.

Igglybuff's enthusiasm was contagious. Chatot grinned. "Yeah. My friends," he agreed.


	6. Epilogue

**~Igglybuff vs. Chatot~**

** ...**

**✽ EPILOGUE ✽**

**WOOPER** went out of his front door the next morning, as usual carrying his blue skateboard and helmet. He had taken his bath and had his breakfast as his mom had told him to, so finally he was allowed to play. He jumped onto his skateboard and kicked off.

**BUDEW** had brought his band-aids and a raincoat AND some tissues ("Why, Budew, you really often get nosebleeds these days!"), and was skipping along happily while humming to himself. He was pleased to see that it was such a sunny day. Thunderstorms scared him.

**SMOOCHUM** was, of course, still in her bathtub. She was washing her hair, accompanied by her pink rubber duck. She was wondering what color hairbow she should wear today. As she rinsed her hair and wrapped a towel around herself, it hit her like a brick. Of course! The perfect hairbow to wear.

**CHATOT** had already met Budew on the way to see his friends. Although his house was nearest to Smoochum's, Budew's house was the second nearest. Besides, Smoochum was still probably having one of her beauty showers.

"Squawk! Hello there, Budew!" he said as he flew lower. "Oh! Hello, Chatot!" Budew exclaimed, waving. "Nice day today, isn't it...?"

Suddenly Budew's eyes widened. "Wait a second! You're not bringing any books today!" He looked and sounded genuinely surprised.

"Nope," Chatot replied, grinning. "I'm not."

...

**IGGLYBUFF**, as usual, met Wooper first, who nearly crashed into him on his skateboard. Then came Chatot and Budew. Budew was lugging a lot of random things and Chatot, Igglybuff saw, was_ not_ bringing any books today.

"Hey, everyone!" he greeted them. Then he frowned. "Where's Smoochum?"

Wooper sighed. "Don't even ask."

"Well, let's get her at her house again!" sang Budew. So they did.

"What do you think of my hairbow, Budew?" asked Smoochum as they set off from her house.

Budew took a look at it. "It's all the colors of the rainbow!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, isn't it pretty?" asked Smoochum happily. "I couldn't decide which color to wear, so why not wear one with all sorts of different colors!"

...

Once they have reached the sunniest spot in the Happy Vale, they got ready to play.

"Who wants to play handball?" asked Igglybuff. "I brought my special ball!"

Everyone jumped up and down excitedly.

"I do!" shouted Wooper.

"I do!" sang Smoochum.

"I do!" cried Budew.

"Squawk! Count me in!" Chatot squawked.

Igglybuff grinned and threw the ball with pictures of Apples and Gummis on it into the air. "OK, let's get this game started, friends!" he exclaimed. "Friends! Friends! Friendly friends! "

...

... ...

* * *

Meanwhile, exactly at the same time, a certain pair of bullies were walking towards certain ruins of a certain cave.

"Are you sure this is it, Banette?"

"Of course I am. This is the exact cave where we met the treasure thieves yesterday."

They walked to the front side of the ruins where the cave's mouth used to be.

"How d'you think we're gonna get in there?"

"Stop complaining, Skorupi. I don't know how, but we're gonna find out. Maybe there's a gap between the fallen rocks we can squeeze through or something. That's why we brought this flashlight, remember."

"Won't it be dangerous?"

"No, it won't. And stop complaining."

They climbed onto the fallen rocks.

"Err, Banette, these rocks look unstable!"

"Of course they're stable, we just have to find the safe spot to stand on them. Remember all the treasure the thieves left! We'll be rich if we can find it, Skorupi!"

"I know, but..."

"Oh come on, stop whining and let's get a move on, shall we?"

They continued to climb until Banette thought they were above the thieves' former treasure chamber. There was a gap which was big enough for them to squeeze through.

"Right. This is where we're going to descend."

"You mean, go between and then _under_ the rocks?!"

"Yeah, what else could I have meant?"

"But that sounds dangerous!"

"It does, but it's not. It's just like going into a hole, Skorupi. A hole in a sea of rocks."

And with that, Banette crouched down, getting ready to lower himself into the gap. However, as he crouched down, the rock he was teetering somewhat precariously on began to teeter itself. It seemed like Banette himself wasn't too good at finding stable spots to stand on, either.

Suddenly, the rock he was standing on began to slide forward with a rumbling, grating sound.

"Yaaaaaaah!" Banette shrieked, jumping onto the rock where Skorupi was standing.

Skorupi was no better at finding stable spots, either. The rock they were standing on began to move, too.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Banette and Skorupi shrieked together, jumping from one rock to another only to find more unstable spots. Soon they had accomplished nothing more but make the ruins even flatter on the ground.

Skorupi glanced sideways at Banette once they were back where they started - the former mouth of the cave.

"I hate to say I told you so."

Banette huffed and, admitting defeat, started to storm off for their 'villain headquarters' with Skorupi following close behind.

"That's it!" Banette snarled on their way back. "I've had enough of explorations and expeditions to last me a whole _lifetime_!"

THE END


End file.
